Metal car-roof.



. J. BOHAN.

METAL CAR ROOF- APPLlcATlon FILED APR. 1. 19H.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

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WILLIAM J. BOI-IAN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

METAL CAR-ROOF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Original application led July 12, 1915, Serial No. 39,288. Divided and this application filed April 7, 1917. Serial No. 160,384.

Y 1o all whom t may conce/rn:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. BOHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Metal Car-Roofs, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, refeience being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in metal car roofs.

The object of the invention is to provide a durable, rigid, all-metal car roof structure free from purlins and wherein a bracing member continuous from end to end of the car roof is provided which extends back and forth and is rigidly secured to the side plates of the car and the ridge-pole. This application constitutes a division of my earlier application No. 39,288, filed July 12, 1915, for improvement in freight cars.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a top plan view ofl a portion of a car roof embodying my invention, the running-board being omitted and portions of the roof sheets being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, and taken on the line 2-2 thereof. And Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating more particularly the ridge-pole construction and method of securing the bracing members, roof sheets, and cap thereto.

In said drawing, the side plates of the car are formed by Z-bars 10-10 having their upper flanges extended outwardly, as indicated at 11-11 and their lower flanges extending inwardly, as indicated at 12-12. At each end of the car, at the upper end thereof, is provided a dish-shaped end plate 13 which extends between and is secured at its ends to the side plates 10-10, each of said dished end plates 13 having upper anges curved to correspond with the slope of the car roof. A ridge-pole is provided extending centrally ofthe roof from end to end of the car, which ridge-pole 14 is of trough or V-shape and having outturned upper horizontal flanges 15--15. No purlins are employed in the car roof but instead I provide bracing members extending between the ridge-pole and each side plate. Each of said bracing members A is continuous from end to end of the car and comprises diagonal sections 16-16, outer short sections 17-17 riveted to the side plates 10, and inner short sections 18-18 riveted to t-he sides 19 of the ridge-pole. As clearly appears from Fig. 1, each memberA zig-zags back and forth between the ridge-pole and its corresponding side plate and the two members A are so disposed with respect to each other that the diagonal sections 16-16 thereof produce the effect of an X- bracing, thus providing great strength and rigidity for the roof framework. At each end, each member A has a short section 2O secured to the end plate 13 adjacent the ridge-pole ofthe car and an in-turned end 21 secured to the ridge-pole itself, to thus provide an extremely rigid connection between the end plate and the ridge-pole.

As shown in the drawing, each of said members A is of channel cross section so that the flanges thereof may be readily riveted to the ridge-pole and side plates while at the same time leaving the web portions 22 thereof for readily riveting the two longitudinally extending roof sheets 23-23 thereto.

In this connection, it will be understood that each of the members A, is not only bent to zig-zag form, as above described, but is curved to conform to the slope of the roof, as appears from Fig. 2. Each of the roof sheets 23, corresponds in width to the distance between the ridge-pole and a side plate and each roof sheet is preferably made continuous from end to end of the car roof, to thus still further increase the rigidity of the roof structure.

As most clearly appears from Fig. 3 each of the roof sheets 23 has its inner longitudinal edge curled upwardly, as indicated at 24,

over the center of the ridge-pole 14. The joint between the meeting edges of the roof sheets is protected and made waterproof by a continuous longitudinally extending cap plate 25 having a central upwardly extending rib 26 to accommodate the curled edges 24 of the roof sheets. The cap plate 25, the roof sheets 23, and the portions 18 of the members A are all preferably secured to the ridge-pole by common rivets 27-27.

With the construction above described,

the roof is made extremely rigid and, on account of the X-shaped bracing effect produced by the members A, the capacity of the roof to resist both longitudinal and lateral strains, is increased. By employing the roof structure herein described in combination with the structure of the remaining portions of the car as described in my said application ilo. 39,288, l provide an allmetal car of extremely rigid construction and well adapted to resist the lateral and longitudinal strains encountered by 'freight cars in service and which oftentimes result in weaving77 of the car Structure with detrimental results.

I claim:

1. A car roof structure comprising, in combination: a metal ridge pole, metal side plates, bracing members on each side of the ridge pole, each of said bracing members eX- tending in zig-Zag form from ridge pole to side plate and rice versa and secured to the ridge pole and side plate, a pair et' root sheets extending' lengthwise of the car, one on each side, and having longitudinally extending meeting edges disposed above the ridge pole, a longitudinally extending cap plate covering said meeting edges, and means for securing the roof sheets and cap plate in position.

2. In a car roof, the combination with side plates, of a V-shaped metal ridge pole having outturned flanges at the. top thereof, metal bracing members extending bexween and secured to said side plates and ridge pole, roof sheets having meeting edges extending lengthwise oif and above the ridge pole, cap plates placed over said meeting n messia edges of the root sheets, and securing means extending through said cap plates, roof sheets, bracing members and said outturned tianges of the ridge pole for rigidly,Y securing the parts in place.

3. ln a car roof, the combination with side and end plates, of a V-shaped metal ridge pole having outturned flanges at the top thereof, metal bracing members extending between and secured to said side and end plates and ridge pole, said metal bracing members being continuous throughout the entire length oi"l the car, the ends oi? said bracing members being secured to the end plates and ridge pole and forming an angle brace at the junction thereof, root sheets having meeting edges extending lengthwise of and above the ridge pole, cap plates placed over said meeting edges of the roof sheets, and securing means extending through said cap plates, roof sheets, bracing members and said outturned flanges of the ridge pole for rigidlj,T securing the parts -in place.

WM. J. BUE-Lila'.

Witnesses:

GEO. F. ENDIcoT'r, Trios. R. WiLLiAMs Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

